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Stone Blind
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
"Haynes is master of her trade . . . She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories.Telegraph (UK) The national bestselling author of A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar returns with a fresh and stunningly perceptive take on the story of Medusa, the original monstered woman. They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster. The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know. When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athenes temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revengeon the young woman. Punished for Poseidons actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude. Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . . In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a womaninjured by a powerful manis blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault. Delving into the origins of this mythic tale, Haynes revitalizes and reconstructs Medusas story with her passion and fierce wit, offering a timely retelling of this classic myth that speaks to us today.
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LadyCait84
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Medusa was not a monster. Perseus was not a hero. The gods are cruel and the myths ring of injustice.

None of this was news to me, yet this retelling — which weaves together opposing narrators and pulls in context from adjacent tales — feels fresh, even though I know where it‘s all headed. (Pun intended?)

Maybe not an instant classic like the last two book club picks, but still a great read that I‘m looking forward to discussing. 🐍

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DebinHawaii
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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#ItTakesAllKinds

A #Mythical Medusa retelling in my TBR, part of my #AuldLangSpine list from @Itchyfeetreader Hoping to get to it in the next month or so.🐍

Eggs Great cover and graphic👏🏻👏🏻 4w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love this cover 💚🖤 4w
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MamaGina
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

“They will defend her, if they can,” said Athene quickly. “She is much loved.”
“Why would they love a monster?” asked Perseus.
“Who are you to decide who is worthy of love?” said Hermes….”and who are you to decide who is a monster?”
“She called them monsters” said Perseus, pointing at Athene.
“No, I didn‘t, I called them dangerous creatures…You‘re the one who thinks anything that doesn‘t look like you must be a monster.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reggie I told myself I will only read Madeline Miller retellings but then you put this up. Stacked. 1mo
23 likes1 stack add1 comment
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MamaGina
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Just starting this title, a retelling of the story of Medusa…definitely seems promising! 📖

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kgriffith
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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New book obsession! If Madeline Miller went feminist wry and rageful instead of making toxic masculinity gay and beautiful? Still workshopping the mashup/elevator pitch 😏 Listening to the author read the cast of characters, I paused the audiobook so I could go pick up a hard copy. This one‘s gonna get marked UP.

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PuddleJumper
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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GondorGirl
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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I read 257 books in 2023, here are my favorites!

Bookzombie That‘s great! 3mo
Ruthiella 257! 😮 Amazing! 👏👏👏 3mo
BookmarkTavern Impressive! 🤩🤩 3mo
TieDyeDude 💪🎉 3mo
31 likes4 comments
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PuSsNbOoKs
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Can‘t believe I forgot to add this to my list! I‘ve always been a huge fan of Greek mythology, and have thoroughly enjoyed the retelling of many stories from a female perspective. This book is written by Natalie Haynes; English writer, broadcaster, classicist, and comedian - she is frakking brilliant and cannot write books fast enough to sate my appetite! Even more, listen to her podcast, Natalie Haynes Stands Up For the Classics.

GondorGirl This is probably my favorite mythology retelling. Natalie Haynes is a gift. 🥰 4mo
PuSsNbOoKs @GondorGirl 100%! 🙌🏼 4mo
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currentlyreadinginCO
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

This is the story of Medusa, in all of its mythological complexity. It also delves into Athena's motivation for cursing her with a head of snakes, Perseus's motivation for beheading her, and what happened to her head following said event, which some readers seem to take exception to because those parts aren't about Medusa ... but they do enrich this story. My favorite part was the chapter told by snakes 🤘

GondorGirl The snake chapter was great! This is probably my favorite Greek mythology retelling. It's funny, thoughtful, and heartbreaking. And I love all the ragging on Perseus. 4mo
currentlyreadinginCO Also loved the ragging on Perseus 😂😂 @GondorGirl 4mo
54 likes2 comments
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BookmarkTavern
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so

There are many women associated with the story of Medusa. This is the chance for all of them to speak.

I wish I liked this more. I did really enjoy turning the story around, & I liked some of the different POVs, but there just ended up being too many other stories woven in. & I was constantly thrown with classic storytelling combined with modern sounding dialogue. I‘ll give Haynes another try, but this just wasn‘t what I was expecting. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

BookmarkTavern General warning for the rape, incest, and violence you would expect from Greek mythology 6mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 6mo
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AlysonCB
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so

Wasn't too sure about this one. Much better female centric greek myth adaptations available. Agree with other reviewers that Medusa is hardly in this story. Too much emphasis on forcing the reader to understand that Perseus and the Gods are the monsters, not the Gorgon's. I think most women who read classics and retellings already understand this.

KT1432 Such a shame it was disappointing. I‘ve loved every single cover I've seen for this. 😩 7mo
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BookMaven9
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so

🌟🌟disappointing! If you want good stories read Circe or Ariadne. Medusa was hardly in this. I didn‘t like the modern tone to the language or the portrayal of Perseus. Skip this one.

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this_teacher_reads
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Her book covers are gorgeous. 😍

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Kboltz
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Loved this retelling of Medusa. Love the writing, love the cover. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

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Booksandtea23
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes

“You aren‘t monsters Medusa said.
Neither are you. Who decides what is a monster?
I don‘t know said Medusa. Men I suppose.
So to mortal men we are monsters.
Because of our teeth, our flight, our strength they fear us so they call us monsters.”

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Sophronisba
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so

This was . . . fine? It just never rose to the heights of Madeline Miller's Circe, and suffered in comparison.

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Autumnscribe
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Starting this today; hope it lives up to the possibilities.

Autumnscribe Good. Very good. But not as great as I was hoping. Still worth the read though. 9mo
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Booksandtea23
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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🏺

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Kazzie
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
Pickpick

This, much like her other books, was a necessary retelling of established myth. Really enjoyed

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ImperfectCJ
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

There were aspects of this novel that I really enjoyed, most notably Haynes's perspective on Perseus, the love of the Gorgons for their sister, and the huge blind spots immortals have when it comes to understanding mortals, so I liked this book even though I was a little fatigued trying to keep track of the army of characters and all of the events that took place.

Tamra Yes, it does spin out a lot of characters and their own stories. In that way the story was less about Medusa than I had expected. I wasn‘t sure how she was going to connect all the dots together, but I felt like she managed it in the end. 10mo
ImperfectCJ @Tamra I definitely think the core story is richer with the other related stories woven in, but it was a little more work keeping everything straight in my head. Plus I kept picturing the old Clash of the Titans with Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith alternating with my mental picture of the Percy Jackson characters, which made everything even more mixed up, but that's more a "me" problem. 10mo
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Tamra
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Loved it! 🐍🐍Gobbled up the drama. The gods acting like two year olds (actually my two year olds were better behaved) and flawed humans at their mercy.

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Sophronisba
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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“I see you. I see all those who men call monsters.

“And I see the men who call them that. Call themselves heroes, of course.

“I only see them for an instant. Then they're gone.“

#FridayReads #FirstLineFriday

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Tamra
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Breakfast to a chorus of birds, toads, crickets, etc. 😌 (Rhubarb scone)

Love love loving Haynes!

SamAnne Rhubarb plus scone! Delicious! 10mo
Cathythoughts Spring has arrived for you then ?! Enjoy 💕 10mo
Tamra @Cathythoughts it turned to summer immediately! 😜 Weather is always nuts here. Thank you! 😘 (edited) 10mo
jlhammar Looks perfect! 10mo
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emmaturi
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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In my opinion, Natalie Haynes can do no wrong. I really enjoyed hearing from Medusa's viewpoint instead of from Perseus.

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rwmg
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

The story of Medusa very well retold from the points of view of a variety of characters.

Tamra I‘ve seen mixed reviews, but it‘s still on my TBR! 10mo
rwmg @Tamra I hope you enjoy it when you get to it
10mo
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rabbitprincess
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
Pickpick

Excellent! This might be my favourite female-centred Greek retelling so far. I laughed out loud many times and was surprised and moved in other places. Highly recommended.

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ClairesReads
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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I love a good retelling of a classic myth, and Stone Blind hit the spot. Very much in the vein of many recent retellings that place female characters at the centre of the narratives. Read with spirit by the author on audio- I think this format really enhanced the voicing of characters.

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rabbitprincess
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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“He‘s just a bag of meat wandering round, irritating people.”
I can think of others who match this description 🤣🤣🤣

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rabbitprincess
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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As a kid reading the Greek myths, I always related on some level to Athene, but boy do I feel especially seen in this description of Athene as having the expression “of someone lacking patience but trying to hide it” 😬😅😜 (Athene sometimes doesn‘t come off very well in these new retellings, which is a bit awkward 😂)

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rabbitprincess
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Athene wants a thing like all the other gods have.
“Does Aphrodite have something?”
“Aphrodite has everything she wants,” Athene snapped. “Whenever she wants it.”
Zeus nodded again. That did sound like Aphrodite.
😂😂😂

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rabbitprincess
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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« the jellied scoop of an eye being pulled from its socket » ??? Brilliantly disgusting!

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alecia3dixie
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so

I really love Greek mythology and especially when it comes to Medusas story. So I was happy to see a book on her story. Which it was. But it also was about other people's stories as well. I wish it would have just focused on Medusa and her story, not being the prelude to someone else's story. Also, there were a lot of freek goddesses and gods' names thrown around. You need a pretty good handle on the mythology before going into this one. 3.5/5

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Jen2
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I love these retellings

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JenniferP
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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I‘ve really enjoyed all the Greek myth retellings that have been appearing lately, and this one did not disappoint. It was humorous and brought up some good themes. Recommended! #womensprize

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ChaoticMissAdventures
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so

I am a bit disappointed? There are many, many characters. If you are not familiar with the story this may be hard to follow. I had to remind myself a few times about who was who and how we got here. Overall I think Haynes was trying to do too much, but that might have been my own expectations not being met for what this book is. I went in looking for Medusa's story from her perspective - along the lines of Circe but you are thrown from story 👇

ChaoticMissAdventures Line and different characters POV so often very little of the book is this core idea of Medusa's own story, which was a bummer because one of my favorite parts of this was the relationship between her and her sisters. L 11mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I will say I did also love the hilarity of Athene and Hermes "helping" Perseus. Their relationship triangle was a delight. If those two storylines had been more laser focused I think I would have liked this incredibly fast paced read. 11mo
SamAnne Great review. This has been on my list. 11mo
ChaoticMissAdventures @SamAnne if you like fast past Greek mythology it is fun! I read it for the #WomensPrizeLongList. 11mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome cover!! 💚 11mo
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actualdisneyprincess
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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All-things-crossed that today continues as quietly as it‘s gone so far, because I just want to read and have a snack and not deal with people. 😂 I really enjoyed “A Thousand Ships,” but I‘m loving this even more so far! #stoneblind #nataliehaynes #greekmythology #medusa #perseus #mythologyreimagined

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jlhammar
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so

This was just okay for me. Haynes clearly knows her stuff and she did have me chuckling a few times, but mostly I found it dull and didn‘t really care. Myth retellings aren‘t really my cup of tea (Circe being the exception). I found myself wishing it felt more intimate, just Medusa telling her story. This was quite expansive with a very large cast of characters.

#WomensPrize

squirrelbrain I struggled with the large cast too, and my favourite retelling was Song of Achilles, then Circe and, like you, it‘s all gone a bit downhill since then. 🤷‍♀️ 11mo
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HettyG
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
Mehso-so

I really hate to criticize this book, since “”1000 Ships” is one of my all time faves, but this one didn‘t do it for me. For a book about Medusa, I felt like there was way too little of her and way too much about the other Olympians. I did audio format for this one, and I love the author‘s voice so much, I would listen to her read anything.

JuniperWilde Great review - I really respect the author and loved A Thousand Ships too. 12mo
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Hooked_on_books
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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After being thoroughly underwhelmed by The Song of Achilles (which everyone seems to love), I frankly thought re-envisioned mythology wasn‘t for me. So I‘m glad I‘m reading some of the #womensprize books because otherwise I never would have touched this and I loved it! The author reads the audio and does a great job. Plus, I wasn‘t expecting the humor, which was amazing. I‘m definitely going to look into her backlist.

SamAnne I loved Circe. Really disliked Song of Achilles. Interested in checking this one out. 12mo
5feet.of.fury I haven‘t read any of Haynes‘s Greek retellings yet, I gotta move this one up the list! 12mo
Tamra Circe was better than Achilles - give it a try! 💙 12mo
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rmaclean4 Loved this on audio! 12mo
jlhammar Great to hear! Now I‘m looking forward to this a bit more. I‘m not all that drawn to these myth retellings, but I really enjoyed Circe on audio. 12mo
TheKidUpstairs I love the humour she brings to her retellings. If you liked this one, you may want to try 12mo
Hooked_on_books @TheKidUpstairs Thanks! I‘ll look for that one. 12mo
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TheKidUpstairs
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I love Haynes' takes on the old myths. Heroes are exposed, gods are delightfully petty, and women's stories take centre stage.

While I'm not sure it was Prize-worthy, it was surely an enjoyable read!

#WomensPrize #WomensPrizeLonglist23

dabbe 💪😎💜 12mo
LatrelWhite ❤️ 12mo
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GondorGirl
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

If it were possible to give a book more than five stars I would.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love these covers!! 12mo
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Leniverse
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
Pickpick

I am wary of Greek mythology retellings, but this was solid. Did I agree with every choice Haynes made in this rendition? No. But it was well researched, well written, and highly entertaining. I was a bit concerned when I saw the book described as funny, since Medusa's story is a tragedy. But Haynes pokes mild fun of gods and heroes, and neither diminishes nor exploits the sufferings of their mortal victims.

#WomensPrize 2023 #longlist

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Abailliekaras
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

A fun, feminist re-telling of the myth of Medusa. Natalie Haynes is an expert on the Classics intimately & her deep knowledge infuses & enriches the story but is worn lightly. She pokes fun at Perseus who beheaded Medusa only after much help from the Gods. The writing is warm & engaging. The god(desse)s come to life & we see them with fresh eyes. Successfully weaves different strands & myths together to reach the tragic conclusion.

LeeRHarry This wasn‘t my favourite of hers but you could definitely tell the author knows the subject intimately. Fab review. 12mo
Abailliekaras @LeeRHarry agree, I thought A Thousand Ships was stronger but still enjoyed this. 12mo
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Cazxxx
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I love mythology retellings and Natalie Haynes is a particular favourite. I love her writing, storytelling, podcast, knowledge and the way she brings the stories to life
I listened to half of this on audible as I‘ve been feeling poorly plus I prefer this genre as an audiobook, I hate to say it but didn‘t enjoy her narration at all
Still a pick for the story and writing though!

Sleepswithbooks This looks so good! 12mo
RowReads1 I hope you feel better. 12mo
Balibee146 Hope you feel better soon xx 12mo
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Cinfhen
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so

I really wanted to love this one, but it was SUCH a chore to get through. I think this would have worked better for me in print, as I really needed to access the character list often and I disliked the author‘s narration. Billed as Medusa‘s story, Medusa is only a minor character in this telling of the Greek Gods & Goddesses. I was surprisingly bored and out of sorts. Disappointing #WomensPrize23LongList #52Books23 #GreekMythology

Librarybelle That‘s a shame! It does sound print is more accessible for this one. 12mo
LeeRHarry I‘ve nearly finished it in print and I think it‘ll get a soft pick from me. 12mo
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Cinfhen That‘s disappointing @LeeRHarry I really liked this one by the author 12mo
LeeRHarry @Cinfhen yes I enjoyed that one too. 12mo
KatieB I‘m reading this one currently and I constantly need to refer to the character list. I can see how the audio would be a struggle 12mo
Cinfhen @KatieB I usually love the Greek mythology tales but I was really lost without the character list!! Hope you‘re enjoying the book 😁 12mo
Lizpixie 🙌🎉 12mo
70 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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Deblovestoread
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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#BookReport I enjoyed all 4 books this week but especially Stone Blind. It really lifted my mood. I am finally making progress on The Last Garden for #LMPBC and changed to In Dubious Battle for my next Steinbeck on my dad‘s recommendation.

Cinfhen Im struggling with Stone Blind, and I usually LOVE re-telling!!!! I can‘t keep track on audio 🤷🏼‍♀️ 12mo
Deblovestoread I had a bit of trouble in the beginning and then it came together for me. Maybe print would be better? 12mo
54 likes2 comments
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Deblovestoread
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I have never been a fan of Medusa‘s story…because SNAKES…UGH, but I loved this book on audio. It has a cheekiness to it that I adored. I may not remember it down the road but the reading experience was perfection and I can see myself revisiting it in the future. 5 🌟. #WomensPrize #Longlist

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Emilymdxn
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

My favourite of Natalie Haynes‘ novels so far I think! I really love how many perspectives she writes from and how many mythological figures get to tell a fragment of the story. I also love how she goes very deep into choosing some characters few people have heard of, but it never stops me understanding the story. I really hope this gets through to the short list stage of the #womensprizeforfiction #womensprizeforfiction2023

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squirrelbrain
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I struggled with the first half of this - too many characters and different POVs. (The character list of over 30 names almost put me off)

When all the threads began to draw together I started to enjoy it, and it turned out to be rather witty too, as you said @rmaclean4 , but it won‘t be one of my favourites on the Women‘s Prize long list.

#52books23 #featuring mythology
#pop23 #abookwithmythicalcreatures

Cortg I added this to my TBR. Yikes! That‘s a lot of characters! 12mo
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jlhammar Good to know! I‘m not overly excited for this one, but will probably give it a try if my audiobook hold comes through. 12mo
rmaclean4 @jlhammar the audio is good, read by the author. 12mo
Cinfhen Im struggling with this one right now! I usually LOVE mythology retellings but there‘s a lot going on and I‘m NOT a fan of the author as narrator @jlhammar 12mo
Librarybelle Wow! 30 names! 12mo
youneverarrived This sounds good but the list of 30 names is putting me off! 12mo
78 likes8 comments